


No light, No light

by Cardboardghost



Series: The Mind is a Dark Wood [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: :(, Connor's a good boy, Gavin No, Gavin cant stay away, Gavin's p ok bc i love him, M/M, RK900 is, Sequel, Violence, ayyy, but it may be a lil confusion, if u want them go to my other fic, not a good boye im sorry, reed900, rk1k is just background im sorry, stinky man, this is the gavin shit you all wanted, you can read this seperate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2019-11-02 00:21:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17877584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cardboardghost/pseuds/Cardboardghost
Summary: Gavin reed finds himself haunted by a recent case that nearly cost Connor his life. And yet, he is inexorably drawn to the man behind it all. RK900 wants nothing more than to torment Gavin- at first. Forces are unravelling in Detroit, and with unknown and violent androids emerging all over the city, Connor and Gavin may just be forced to work with the man they hate most. At the cost of the detective's own sanity.PLEASE NOTE! This is a sequel to "The Straight and Deviant path" so read that first for context. This can be read standalone, but you'll be a bit lost at the start.





	1. interrogation

Gavin stared at the android, sitting stock still. He hadn’t moved since they brought him in. All that was visible were the occasional taps of fingers against his handcuffs. God it was strange to look at. Dyed black hair, and these creepy blue eyes that made him shiver. Sure, Gavin had seen shit in his time, but never anything like this. The first Android serial killer ever. Not only had this sick fuck killed and made "art" out of his victims, he also used these murders as a ploy to get what he really wanted, Connor. Even just remembering that haunted look in Connor's eyes just before Gavin stepped in made him shudder. Well- no use in hesitating. Connor was nowhere to be found, so they may as well get started. Tina pressed ‘record’, and Gavin stepped inside the interrogation room.

 

“Hello Detective, it’s so nice to see you again. Is Connor well? What about the Lieutenant?”

 

“Shut it.” Snarled Gavin. The arrogance of this guy pissed him the hell off. “I ask questions, you answer. That’s it. Capiche?”

 

RK900 laughed, tilting his head mockingly. His long legs were splayed out, and Gavin could see the blood on his boots. Human blood with smaller splatters of blue. Swallowing, he forced himself to look up instead. The android gave a small nod of assent, and made a ‘go on’ gesture.

 

“How many people have you killed, RK900?”

 

“Nines.”

 

Gavin blinked. “Nine, you’ve killed nine?” That was more than he expected, if he was honest with himself. 

 

Again, RK900 laughed. The sound rattled in Gavin’s skull until he was grinding his teeth. “No, no,” he said, “my name is Nines. I’d ask that you call me as such, Detective.” Even this statement sounded haughty, high and mighty and goddamn infuriating. Barely, just barely, Gavin managed to control himself long enough to not punch that smug look off of his face.

 

“Okay… Nines. Fine. Nines, how many people have you killed?” Gavin walked closer to him, squinting. Nines smiled lazily, leaning forward to regard him with obvious interest. Those cold eyes dragged up and down, making Gavin hunch in slightly. The android licked his lips, baring shiny white teeth in a hungry grin.

 

“Plenty. Android and human, both die much the same.” Nines let his hair fall over his eye gently, curling his face into a much more fond expression, as if reliving a particularly pleasant memory. The sight was sickening. “Though I would say about… sixteen, including the ones you’ve discovered.” Gavin felt a shiver crawl up his spine.

 

“Sixteen?” Gavin felt the blood drain from his face, staring in abject horror. That meant there were at least twelve victims they had never even found. That thought alone made his skin prickle.

 

Silence settled over the room, with Nines leaning close. He was observing the Gavin again, zeroing in on the bruises that decorated his neck. They were from an altercation with a drunk man and a bar fight, which had happened shortly before Connor and Markus had gone to the warehouse. Ugly, purple splotches that Nines was eyeing like one might with fine art. It unnerved him.

 

“Oi! The fuck are you looking at?” Spat Gavin, subconsciously he rubbed his neck.

 

“Those bruises on your neck. Looks like someone choked you, yes?” Nines didn’t wait for an answer, just chattering on. “You have telltale fingerprints. Must have squeezed hard, since they’re only a few hours old. Or maybe you bruise easily, detective?”

 

The rapid fire analysis threw Gavin for a loop, and he blinked, bewildered. What the fresh hell was this? He was supposed to be interrogating Nines, not the other way around. The detective snarled, fists clenched in frustration at the android’s incessant chatter.  

 

Connor poked his head in the doorway. Hank and Officer Chen were sitting in front of the screen, watching Gavin and Nines speak. At the sound of footsteps, Hank glanced up. “Hey Con, come in. We just started.” A bandage was wrapped around his head, but Hank seemed mostly fine. Connor felt a wave of relief at seeing this.  

 

Nodding, he slipped inside the room with Markus in tow. It seemed like Gavin was tense, arms folded and pressed up as if hiding himself from the android. He could hear him saying something angrily, and tuned in to the conversation.

 

“-and why Connor? Of all the androids to fixate on, it was him. Why?” Gavin threw one of his hands up vaguely. “Is he really that special to you?”

 

Nines seemed to think about this, leaning back in his chair, thoughtfully  humming. “Well… I suppose since he was my predecessor, I already had a bias. So when I woke up in Cyberlife, I wanted to find him. Immediately deviating upon awakening is not a pleasant experience. Originally, Connor would have most likely given his memories to me when I was released as a model. I must have still had that in my head,” He sighed deeply then, relaxing back in the chair like a lazy cat.

 

Gavin caught a flash of those white teeth again, with canines like a dog. He wasn't sure if he believed that, but it seemed that was all Nines would tell him. “Then the murders, what about those, huh? How did those relate to Connor- and what did you want with him, anyway?”

 

“Murder started as a necessity, self preservation. I didn't want to be found out during such a delicate time for Androids. So sue me, detective, but I started having fun with it. Imagine my surprise when I learned that my new hobby could bring Connor to my very doorstep! It was all too perfect, don’t you agree?”

 

No, he really didn’t. Gavin glared vehemently, hoping he made it clear that he didn’t support this bullshit in the slightest. “You didn’t explain what you wanted with Connor.” Insisted the detective.

 

“Mmm, but does that really matter? Well- to you it does. Though you mustn’t worry, I have no interest in him anymore.” Nines practically purred, slinking towards Gavin until his cuffed hands were placed on the table and his face was right by Gavin’s ear. His mouth moved in words only the detective could hear.

 

Connor watched Gavin go pale. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a shocked goldfish. Finally, he stuttered out a few words.

 

“Y-you- you sick fuck! I’ve heard more than enough! You’re going to fucking jail, you piece of plastic shit- if I don’t shoot you first.” Gavin was- trembling? Yes, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. His jaw set tight until veins pressed out, and his eyes were wide with barely concealed panic.

 

Nines cackled, throwing his head back and shaking with the dark sound of it. “Oh detective, you're so naive that it's cute.” The android raised his hands, holding the handcuffs from his first finger, open. They glinted in the light. “Do you think a prison could hold me?” He raised a hand, looking over at the one way glass, and snapped his fingers.

 

Gavin didn’t consider himself a stupid man. Far from it, actually. He was a damn good detective, and quick on his feet. So why hadn’t he seen this coming? Nines was dangerous, sadistic, and hateful. That much was clear. He’d killed so many people, put Connor in danger, and gave Hank fucking Anderson a concussion! But no, Gavin had to be overconfident. He caught the android off guard, so he must have some kind of upper hand, right?  

 

One second, everything was bright. The next- it was pitch black. Dim lights flickered back to life, and he saw Nines grinning at him. The bulbs were fizzing quietly. He heard the lock engage with a terrifying finality. The grin on Nines’ face seemed to widen, and Gavin felt his throat close.

 

“What-” he croaked, “what did you do?” The deafening silence made Gavin wish he could hear what was going on behind the glass. Though that was a pipe dream, it seemed. Handcuffs were tossed aside, clattering to the floor and skidding until they landed against the far wall.

 

“They won’t be bothering us for a while, detective.” Purred the android, stepping closer to Gavin, who staggered backwards.

 

“Don’t you fucking touch me you-”

 

Nines rushed forward and grabbed his throat. A choked cry escaped his mouth as his back slammed against the wall. Blindly, he threw out a fist, hearing a crunch as it connected with plastic and metal. The android briefly let go. Using the moment, Gavin lunged at him and tried to tackle Nines. Though he got his bearings quickly, and Gavin was thrown onto the ground.

 

“Shit-!”

 

There was a whirlwind of limbs, flying legs, teeth, and nails. Someone was banging on the door, but Gavin wasn’t sure who it was. All he could see was the rapid approach of the interrogation table. Cracking echoed in the space, and he felt as pain blossomed all over his face. Gavin groaned, crumpling to the floor. Nines was on him in an instant, hands wrapping around his throat, squeezing with just the amount of pressure needed to cut off the detective’s air flow.

 

Uselessly, Gavin clawed at his hands. Everything was going fuzzy, but he could feel agony on the side of his neck, and Nines pulling back with red blood all over his mouth. He was about to pass out, give in to the sweet darkness that called for him-

 

The door burst open, two officers barging through. They yanked Nines off, barely restraining him. Gavin coughed harshly. Was that blood? God he hoped not.

 

Connor ran in, kicking the other android’s legs. Gavin was dimly aware of the fact that he was shaking. “You’re fucking crazy!” he shouted, as he tried to stop the bleeding on his neck.

Connor said something- what did he say? It didn’t matter, as gentle hands helped him to his feet. His mind was dazed, but something cut clear through it.

 

“I was right, Gavin. You do bruise easy.”

 

The smug expression on his face was all it took to set Gavin off, and Connor had to drag him out by his arms to keep him from attacking the android once more. After the subsequent ride to the hospital, Gavin found out that his nose was broken, and he was lucky he hadn’t suffered a concussion. Nines, the bastard, was repaired in a week. But only so that he would be fit to stand trial.

 

Unsurprisingly, he was found guilty of murder and two counts of assaulting an officer. Prison for fifty years, it was looking like. Gavin thought it wasn’t nearly enough, but they couldn’t find proof of the other twelve murders that Nines confessed to, and the law was still a bit wonky with androids. At least he’d be put away for a long, long time.

 

It wasn’t enough for Gavin, though. He had to see it for himself, be sure that the man who had caused so much damage to himself, and his… friends? Which was how he found himself standing in front of a jail cell, staring into the semi darkness that occupied it. Two specks of blue faintly glimmered in what little Gavin could see. He cautiously stepped forwards.

 

“Ah, Detective, it’s you.” Nines smiled, moving forward. The shadows dappled across his pale skin, making the edges sharper. Gavin repressed a shiver. It was eerie, to watch him move so… robotically. He tilted his head, watching Gavin with an almost blank expression, save for those blue, lifeless eyes. Though he looked so much like Connor- well, how Connor used to. Empty and unfeeling.

 

“Yea, it’s me. How’s prison treating you? I think it’s a good look.” Gavin spat, mostly to cover up the unease in his voice. Nines laughed at that, standing slowly and moving towards the metal bars that kept them seperate. Gavin stepped back simultaneously. The bruises on his neck ached and throbbed. “The fuck you looking at me like that for, huh?”

 

“Your heart rate is speeding up detective. Are you nervous?” The android reached up to touch his own neck, a playful smile curling at his lips. “Scared that I’ll hurt you? Don’t worry, detective. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m a better man,” Nines purred, baring dog teeth. Why had Gavin come here again? This guy was out of his mind!

 

Shaking his head, the detective stepped back. “Fuck you. I don’t know why I even came here. You’re out of your fucking mind.”

 

That’s when Nines lunged.

 

He leapt forwards, long arms somehow gripping onto Gavin’s jacket, despite the distance between them, and pulling him in. “I hope that you come back, detective. I do quite enjoy your company.” The android grinned, then let him go. Gavin stumbled, arms whirling to catch his balance.

 

“Fuck you.” With a hateful glare in his eyes, Gavin turned on his heel and stalked away. Nines’ laughter crawled up his spine, settling in his ears. A shiver ran up his spine. What had he hoped to gain from going there anyway? Closure? He didn’t know, and it seemed he wasn’t going to find out. So, defeated and frustrated, Gavin went back home.

 

Sleep did not come easy for weeks after. No matter how many times he fluffed the pillows, or shifted where under the blanket he was lying. He couldn’t get Nines out of his head. The massive grin and rows upon rows of pearly white teeth were so bright behind his eyes, he couldn’t hope to get any rest. Nines haunted his nightmares almost every night. It was frustrating, especially when he needed the rest. He and Connor had to give an official statement about the case tomorrow. Connor representing androids, Gavin representing human police officers. There was no way he could afford to be half asleep because Nines was in his goddamn head! With a defeated groan, Gavin pressed his face into the pillow.

 

Despite best efforts, Gavin barely scraped by with five hours of sleep. It wasn’t enough, but he’d live. The detective groaned and swung his legs over the bed. Well, it was nothing that coffee and a hot shower couldn’t fix, right? Though still yawning and bleary, Gavin stumbled into the bathroom. God, he looked like shit. Dark bags hung underneath his eyes, and he could still see all the dark bruises on his skin from falling off the bed some nights. The scar on his nose was larger now, more gnarled after Nines had gotten to it. 

 

“Heh, gross.” Gavin chuckled, turning away from the mirror. He pulled the handle, and the water started, slowly filling the small room with steam. He stepped under the warm stream of water, letting it wash over him. As much as he wanted to linger under the warm, relaxing water, he knew that he was on a schedule here. After a hasty scrub and wash, Gavin was half dressed and downing a cup of bitter black coffee. He threw his jacket over his shoulders, and was out the door.

 

The clouds loomed over Detroit, and Connor found they quite matched his mood. Already he could hear the flashes of cameras, and the chatter of reporters. Markus stood above them all, on a podium, calmly speaking to the restless crowd. Though he seemed a perfect picture of perfect composure, Connor could see the twitch in his eyes, and the annoyed curl of his fingers. He was getting agitated. The android moved forwards, going up the steps and placing a hand on Markus’ shoulder. A small smile stretched across his cheeks. Markus kissed him on the cheek, and left the stand to Connor. He noticed Gavin slipping by, standing near the back of the stage. Connor tapped the mic, and a hush fell over the crowd.  

 

“Hello, my name is Connor. A few weeks ago, I helped to arrest a serial killer of the designation RK900, named Nines.” That was all he had to say for everyone to start speaking again, A cacophony of voices stumbling over each other and all trying to get his attention. Connor held up his hands to quiet them. “He was the only one of his kind, intended to be released before Cyberlife shut down. We don’t know how he was awakened, nor how he got out in the first place. But he is safely behind bars now.”

 

Any further commentary on Connor’s part was cut short by a young reporter. He watched her blonde hair bouncing as she pushed a microphone towards him. “What do you think this will do for android rights? Does this prove that deviants are truly dangerous?” A murmur ran through the crowd, and Gavin shifted as if to intervene.

 

“No. This means deviants are alive, just as you are. The actions of a single android do not speak for the actions of us all. Or do you arrest every single human because one has committed a crime?” He tilted his head innocently, though there was a small and smug smile on his face. A flush covered the reporter’s cheeks, and she pulled her microphone back.

 

“As I was saying, the incident has been handled. And I promise you all, we are always working to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. On that note, I’d like to introduce the Detective that ultimately caught Nines, Gavin Reed.” Connor stepped aside, letting Gavin move to the podium.

 

He took a deep, shuddering breath. Ok, he could do this. The paper crumpled in Gavin’s fist crinkled a bit. This was fine. They were all only people, after all. “Hey. I’m Detective Reed.” He swallowed hard. What was he going to say again? “Look, I know plenty of people who see the newscast of this, and plenty of people in the crowd hate androids.”

 

There was a ripple among the people. Murmurs of both assent and protest. Gavin wished he wasn’t so aware of how much his palms were sweating. “And yes- Nines is awful. He’s a monster who’s done unforgivable things. But he’s not every other android. I used to hate them too, okay? It was pathetic and wrong then, and it’s wrong now. I don’t know about anyone else, but to me this was just another case with another criminal. It doesn’t speak for Connor, Markus, or anyone else.”

 

Silence overtook the area, and Gavin felt his nerves start to fray. “There were rumors of an interrogation. They say you were attacked by the android, is that true?” He looked down. That blonde reporter from earlier was holding her microphone up again, looking expectant. Ah christ- of course she had to ask that question. Gavin let out a shaky sigh.

 

“Yes, it’s true.” A whisper ran through the crowd, and Gavin hastened to keep talking before it got out of control. “I was interrogating him, and he managed to unlock his handcuffs. He assaulted me violently. To be honest? If it weren’t for Connor, I’d be dead right now.” With a shaky hand, he gestured to the android in question. “Connor’s a hero.”

 

Everyone hesitated, then applauded. He even heard a few whistles in the sea of people. Thank god. He nodded weakly, waved a hand, and stepped down from the podium. Connor and Markus were moving up again, so Gavin took the moment to slip away from all the flashing cameras and clamoring of voices. Rounding a corner, he was about to pull out a cigarette when someone shoved a mic into his face

 

“Uh- can I help you?” Nervously, he regarded the man in front of him. A tall, spindly figure. He had wild blue eyes and a windswept mess of sandy brown hair. Yellowed teeth kept slipping out to gnaw at his lips.

 

“Ye-yes! Yes, of course, sorry. You said the android attacked you, what exactly did he… do?” The man was practically pushing the mic into Gavin’s mouth at this point. What was this guy’s problem? He tried to glance at the camera, maybe see what news organization he was from. But there was no logo on the side. Huh, weird.

 

With a groan, Gavin slipped the pack into his pocket again. “Look man, I gave my speech already. I’m not saying anything more. Go ask Connor and Markus, I’m sure they’ll be happy to answer your questions.” Shaking his head, the detective turned away and made to leave. Before he could step away, the reporter grabbed his arm.

 

“W-wait! Please. If you change your mind.” A business card was shoved into his hands, and Gavin raised an eyebrow. If it got him to leave, then he’d happily take the stupid card. A quick glance didn’t reveal anything interesting, just a plain white card with black print. There seemed to be a dried brown stain on the corner of the cardstock. Coffee, maybe? It smelled vaguely spicy- so hot sauce? He pocketed the item with an absent minded shrug. Whatever.

 

For a moment he considered saying something, then thought better of it. No use feeding the crazy. Once more he cast a glance towards the mousey man, now muttering to his shady camera man, and walked away. What a strange fucking character. Stones kicked up beneath his feet as Gavin headed back to his car. It wasn’t until he sat down in the driver’s seat that Gavin pulled out the card again. His heart skipped a beat, and his breath froze.

 

On the bottom right corner was a small LED, dripping with blue blood.

 


	2. Loyalties

The card was heavy. 

 

Not actually heavy, of course. It was just thick paper. But the weight sunk in Gavin’s pocket until he couldn’t think straight anymore, not really. All he could do was sit at his kitchen table, silently staring at the stained lettering, and the little blue mark. In his palm was his phone, thumb over the call button. Gavin didn’t even realize he was trembling until the phone slipped from his hand, thudding against the table. 

 

Suddenly he gasped out a breath, one he’d kept quietly tucked inside his lungs. He grasped at his own hair, shuddering out heavy breaths. This couldn’t be real, it had to be a coincidence. It had to be. Gavin stood, sending his chair flying to the floor. In a whirl of movement he had slipped on his coat, and was out the door. 

 

The night air felt chilly, as was to be expected. It settled itself in a sticky web over the detective. He repressed a shiver. It would be a quick trip, he told himself, just to clear his own head. Nines was safely behind bars, had been for weeks. He wasn’t getting out anytime soon. So why didn’t Gavin feel reassured? 

 

Despite the odd look the officers and warden gave him, they allowed him inside. He half sprinted, half stumbled to Nines’ cell, panting. The android looked up, curious. Gavin noted the book in his hand. “The Red Dragon”, classy. Recognition flashed on his face, and Nines began to grin. God he hated that smile. 

 

“Hello again, Detective. Can I help you?” It was almost polite, the way he tilted his head and spoke. Gavin returned it with an absolutely withering glare. It had to be done, he reminded himself, pulling the card out of his pocket. He held it up, and Nines leaned in for a closer look. 

 

“Any clue what the fuck this is about?” Gavin snarled the question, holding the card closer. Nines reached between the bars and snatched the paper away. He examined it carefully, but seemed confused. Gavin could see his LED flashing in the pale darkness. Slowly, he shook his head. 

 

Gavin didn’t believe him, but Nines looked genuinely bewildered. “Rufus Mayweather… I am sorry Detective, but this means nothing to me, and the name doesn’t bring up anything in my database to do with reporting, or anyone with a criminal record.” He handed back the card, Gavin cursing under his breath. 

 

“Do you know why your trademark is on the back, then? The symbol we found on almost every fucking body you left?” 

 

Another shake of his head. “I truly don’t know who he is. The name doesn’t match anything, I can assure you. Ask Connor to check as well, he’ll tell you the same. Maybe he’s from another country, I only have access to the US criminal database, after all.” 

Well that was disappointing, to say the least. Gavin let out a small breath of frustration. Of course, it could never be that easy, could it? Nines seemed to notice this distress, and a slow smile spread across his face. It was eerie in the same way a grin on a skeleton might be. “Detective…” He purred it slow, drawing out the word to send shivers crawling along Gavin’s spine, “I could help you figure it out, if you let me. I’m ever so bored in here.” 

 

“No.” The reply was immediate and cutting. “Thanks anyway, I’ll be going now.” Gavin turned on his heel and stormed off, not looking back to see what Nines was doing. He could hear soft laughter, which only spurred him to move faster. Sprinting to the car wasn’t his intention, really, but he couldn’t help it. Everything about Nines made him nervous, from his sick smile, to his nails that sharpened into what was almost claws. The uncanny valley would shrink away from him, no doubt. 

 

Driving home had been a tense affair. Not even the low beat of drums or the thrum of bass could slow down his racing heart. He scrambled up the stairs and jammed the keys into his shitty lock. Only when he’d collapsed by the kitchen table and slammed the card down did he realize how badly he was shaking. The tremors in his fingers stopped him from standing again. Gavin let out a gasping breath. 

 

He’s just had a conversation with Nines, the source of his nightmares for a month now. And Nines had smiled at him. That goddamn smile that made him feel like steak on a platter. Gavin dragged his laptop across the table and flipped it open. A tab was already open. A news article, about Nines. 

 

“...the RK900, who goes by Nines, was apprehended by authorities after attempting to allegedly kidnap police android and officer, Connor Anderson, as well as threaten Lieutenant Hank Anderson, and the famous leader of Jericho himself, Markus. He later confessed to at least 16 murders, though only 4 could be confirmed. Police are searching for the remaining bodies. RK900 has denied an interview with-” 

 

Gavin closed the tab, wincing. He didn’t need to fucking read that now. “Fuck, Gav, pull it together.” Creeping unease was still in the tips of his fingers, but he wasn’t shaking as badly. He glanced down at the card once more, and put in the name. 

 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No matter where he googled, the card didn’t lead to anything. Everything was a dead end. Gavin groaned loudly, letting his head thunk on the table. Even calling the number only lead to dead air, then an abrupt click as whoever was on the other end hung up. It was… frustrating. Oh well, he was heading to the precinct tomorrow anyway. Maybe Connor would know something. Nines had to be lying, there was a connection! Because the alternative made Gavin too nervous to consider. 

 

Sleep once again evaded Gavin with a sickening familiarity. He hated it, the uncertainty of darkness. It was too quiet and too loud. Low and rumbling was the growl that burst out of his throat. It sent him to his feet and into the kitchen. He opened his pathetically barren fridge and pulled out a cold beer. Maybe getting buzzed would help him sleep. The alcohol settled in his stomach, and Gavin felt a bit better. So back to bed he shambled, collapsing on the mattress and finally forcing himself to pass out. Hopefully, tomorrow would provide the answers he was searching for. 

 

Overhead, the sun burned coldly, like judgemental eyes upon the hunched figure that stumbled along the street. Gavin shivered against the chilly wind. The card was a deadweight in his pocket- he could feel it, burning into his side. He sucked in a sharp breath. It was fine, he told himself Connor would scan it, and give him the answers he was looking for. The mystery would be solved, and he could get back to at least five hours of sleep. 

 

Connor was pressed against the wall, casually talking with Hank as Gavin pushed through the doors. The two seemed relaxed. He envied them in that moment, so at ease. Oh well- no time to waste. He stepped closer, lightly tapping Connor’s arm. “Hey, Con. I need your help with something. It’ll be quick, promise.” He tried to speak calmly, but there was an unmistakable tremble in his voice. Connor blinked slowly with half-moon eyes. 

 

“Of course, Detective. I’ll be back.” He waved at Hank, and allowed Gavin to lead him off. The lack of protest was a relief, since Gavin couldn’t have explained himself if he tried. Words stuck in his throat like drying clay. “What’s wrong Gavin?” Connor looked so damn worried, Gavin felt almost guilty for making him feel that way.

 

“Yesterday someone gave me a business card, with this on it.” He flipped it over, showing Connor the little symbol. His eyes widened in disbelief. Gavin rushed on before he could ask. “I went to visit Nines in prison and-” Connor looked more alarmed, “It was fine! He scanned it and told me that none of it brought up any results. I tried to find it too, but I got nothing. Could you scan it?” 

 

Unsurprisingly, Connor was more than a little worried as to why Gavin had gone to visit Nines, but he didn’t say this. He didn’t need to, Gavin saw it on his face. On his temple, with that flashing LED that glowed yellow then swirled back to blue. He looked up and shook his head. “I’m sorry Gavin, there’s nothing I could find that traces back to this. Nines was telling the truth.” That… was not what Gavin wanted to hear. Ice washed over him, and he held the cardstock tighter. Of course. Just his luck, wasn’t it? The one time that maniac was telling the truth, it had to be about something like this. 

 

Gavin forced a smile. “It’s alright Connor, thanks anyway. Go back to Hank or whatever.” With some reluctance, Connor eventually left. The smile fell from Gavin’s face, and the detective slumped down in his seat. Over and over the thoughts turned in his head. Nines, the most violent and dangerous person Gavin had ever met, was for once innocent? He didn’t know anything about the card. Then again, he could have been lying. But all conversations with him were monitored, so if someone suspicious had come through it already would have been reported. Not to mention the fact that reporters barely were allowed inside from massive news networks, let alone some nobody on his own. And no one even answered the number when he called! But it was suspicious as hell- how could they know that symbol? It wasn’t released to the press yet. This was way too fucking convoluted, Gavin thought to himself. 

 

In the end, he didn’t know why he didn't tell anyone. Logically, it would make much more sense to mention it to another officer as a serious concern, but for some reason he just couldn’t. It felt too personal now. Besides, if it turned out to be nothing, then would have Gavin wasted days of his and other people’s time. That’s what he told himself, anyway. He headed home in much the same state as before, exhausted and harrowed from the things that had happened. Just as he was going to turn onto his street, Gavin hesitated. Instead, the turned the wheel to the right and took a different road. 

 

The prison loomed head, unnerving and cold. He shuffled in quietly, and flashed his badge before the guard could stop him. A receptionist sat at her station, tapping idly away. She looked up as Gavin entered, slightly confused. “I’m sorry sir, no visitors.” She mumbled the words, eyes already glued onto her screen once more. Gavin huffed out an annoyed breath. 

 

“I’m not a visitor. Gavin Reed, DPD. I’m here to talk to Nines?” Gavin pulled out his badge and flashed it. That certainly got her attention. The receptionist snapped her head up, staring in shock. He met her gaze as steadily as he could. A tense few seconds passed before she nodded once. 

 

“G-go right ahead, the warden will take y-” 

 

“No need, I know where he is.” Without waiting for a reply, Gavin walked by her and towards the darkened cells. His footsteps echoed through the quiet prison, bouncing off the walls and disappearing into the air. It felt uneasy here. Waiting for something, or someone, to break the quiet spell. He came to a stop in front of an all too familiar face. 

 

Nines smiled, lifting his head in greeting. “Detective, what a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know you’d be back so soon, what can I do for you, hm?” His voice was lower, rough in a way that Gavin could almost believe he was sleeping before this. Though androids couldn’t feel tired, he knew that. Nines’ eyes flickered to the card in Gavin’s hand, and he raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that again? Did you find anything, Detective?” 

 

Gavin glared, and slowly shook his head. This seemed to delight Nines, the creepy bastard. “There’s nothing. I couldn’t find anything, and neither could Connor. I know you know something, you have to. Fucking explain yourself!” With a start Gavin realized that he was grabbing the bars of Nines’ cell, snarling at him. He shakily stepped away. “Just- don’t lie to me.” The crack in his tone was painfully embarrassing. 

 

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Gavin. I mean that. I was honest when I told you that I didn’t know who Rufus Mayweather is. But I may have an idea as to why they put that symbol on their card.” Nines spoke quietly, forcing Gavin to lean in and listen close. 

“Then tell me,” Gavin whispered back, unsure as to why he was whispering. 

 

Nines was grinning now. He stood and slunk over to Gavin, curling his clawed fingers around the bars. “I can help you, Gavin. How’s about you come back again tomorrow, and I’ll tell you, hm?” A bubble of anger grew inside of Gavin. 

 

“What? No! I’m not making deals with you, asshole. Just tell m-” 

 

“I won’t say it again. Come back tomorrow. I won’t give you answers unless you do. Now, do we have a deal?” Nines stuck his hand out between the bars, waving his fingers enticingly. Gavin stared at it with unease. Should he? It felt quite akin to making a deal with the devil. He took a shaky breath. 

 

“Yea, we do.” 

 

Gavin reached forward, and took his hand. 


	3. With Regards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin just can’t stay away, can he?

Squeak. Squeak squeak. Squeak squeak squeak.

 

“Could you please stop that?” Groused Connor, glancing up from his terminal to shoot a venomous glare at Gavin, who sat diagonally from him. He’d been scooting his sneakers back and forth across the linoleum, causing that ear grating noise. Gavin winced in response, but stilled his feet. “You’ve been anxious all day, what’s the matter?”

 

Gavin felt almost guilty. Connor looked so sincere when he asked, as if he really did care what was wrong. He probably did, Gavin thought, but he still couldn’t know. The alarm when he’d confessed to visiting Nines was already bad enough, but admitting to letting him see what should be classified information? Connor would probably wrangle him into group therapy. Again. And frankly, he’d had enough of all that “sharing your feelings” shit. Reliving the past never did him well.

 

“I’m fine, I guess. Just…” Connor leaned forward expectantly, “I’ve been uneasy about the article. The reaction our speech will get, that’s all.” Gavin finished with a weary smile. Only half a lie, really. There had been a ban on releasing footage of the speech until now, a few days after it had happened. The reason why wasn’t clear to him, and it was above his pay grade to ask. He was nervous about that, but not for himself. The flashing cameras caught his pale face in the light, stammering out a hastily rehearsed speech. However, they also caught Markus, pressing his lips gently to Connor’s cheek. He knew they’d go wild. He’d seen the first few articles already. ‘Android Leader Kisses Deviant Hunter!’ ‘Markus and Deviant Hunter, Secret Lovers?’ and the like. It was sick, cheap journalism, but the people ate it up. What kind of effect could seeing that have on Connor? On his relationship with Markus? Gavin’s leg began to bounce again.

 

The sympathetic look he got was almost physically painful. Connor sighed deeply, shifting away from his terminal to face Gavin. “I understand that. I’m nervous too, in all honesty. But I’m sure it will be okay. Maybe this will have a positive impact? Show solidarity?” Now it just sounded like Connor was trying to convince himself. Yea, Gavin understood that sentiment all too well.

 

“Hey, ease up man. I’m sure it’ll be fine. And if it’s not? I’ll tell ‘em they’re all full of shit.” Gavin grinned, watching the android’s face relax.

 

“Thank you Gavin, I appreciate that.” They both turned back to their own terminals, Connor seemingly relieved, and Gavin… well, what did he feel, exactly? Guilt, yes, but also excitement. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was excited about seeing Nines again, itching with that familiar energy he got when a particularly difficult case found its way to his table. This was fucked up- he was fucked up. Gavin sighed deeply and put his face into his hands. Might as well try to get work done, he thought.

 

Ever since the revolution, so much had changed. Gavin most of all. He’d gone from a vindictive android hater, to being something akin to friends with one. It was strange, how things progress like that. He still remembered the awkward apology he’d given, complete with staring at the floor and mumbling half the time. Mercifully, Connor had accepted it. They’d even worked cases together before… this. Gavin was honestly happy to get to know Connor before Nines threw a wrench into everything. Nines. Nines was impossible to describe. He was vastly intelligent, deviant, and absolutely insane. How could an android even be evil? Are they even capable of that? The cruelty he displayed was unnerving, to say the least. Gavin shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts like a festering swarm of gnats.

 

Work was a hopeless cause at this point. The detective resigned himself to completing a police report or two, and maybe drinking his third coffee of the morning. Considering how bleary eyed his coworkers looked, he wasn’t the only one with things on his mind. Gavin saw Hank shoving a donut into his mouth before Connor could stop him, and snorted. It all was so normal, nothing like the turmoil inside his own mind.

 

The hours dragged on like days, but finally it came time to clock out. Gavin was the first one through the doors. Connor hadn’t even crossed the threshold when Gavin was starting his car, zipping down the street. “Wonder why he’s in such a hurry.” Connor mumbled to himself, following Hank to the parking lot. Oh well, if it was urgent, Gavin would say something.

 

Just like last time, the receptionist let him in with no argument. The echoes of his footsteps reminded him of just how big this place was, just how lonely. He already saw Nines’ hand, dangling out of the cell lazily. He was twirling his own LED between his fingers, though it seemed to be detached from it’s cord, now a dull and lifeless blue. Gavin shuddered. Was it really worth it? Nines seemed to notice him now, flipping the LED in a clear mockery of Connor’s coin. Gavin came to a stop in front of his cell, trying to avoid staring at Nines’ teeth.

 

“Hello again, Gavin. It’s a pleasure to see you.” Nines’ voice was a low rumble, curling playfully around Gavin’s ears and crawling down his throat. He glared back. “Not much for pleasantries then? Alright, I quite understand that. You want to know what I’ve found about Rufus Mayweather.”

 

Gavin stepped forward, emboldened by the bars between them. “Yea, and I’d suggest you get on with it. If you don’t having anything useful, I won’t be coming back again.” He blinked in surprise. Would he come back if Nines did have useful information? Well of course he wouldn’t, that’d be naive at best and outright suicide at worst. Right? Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that.

 

Nines perked up, excited suddenly. “I’ve found out quite a bit, Detective. For one, I know why Rufus isn’t registered on any record, human or android.” Gavin’s eyes widened, and waved his hand in a ‘go on’ gesture. Nines was only too delight to do just that. “He’s not human or android, he’s both.”

 

“What?” Gavin’s mind short circuited for a moment, and he needed to reboot. How exactly was that possible? “What do you mean?” without realizing it, Gavin stepped even closer, only a foot away from Nines now.

“What I mean,” explained the android patiently, “is that he’s a cyborg. A very effective one, at that. From what I’ve gathered, he’s almost entirely android except for his teeth, brain, and the trace amounts of actual blood inside him. He’s neither human nor machine, rather than a wonder of technology. I searched for and found a record of his death. As far as anyone else is concerned, Rufus Mayweather died in 2020, peacefully in his sleep.” The more he spoke, the more gleeful he sounded.

 

Gavin’s knees almost buckled, but he concealed it with a small step closer. “A cyborg? I’ve heard of cybernetic limbs but… how is that possible? And how did you even figure that out?” Nines had said he wouldn’t lie, but how much could he really trust such a statement?

 

Again, Nines seemed only too delighted to explain. “I asked around, even spoke to a few android policemen. Kinship is a powerful thing, Detective. They tell me plenty of useful things if I ask nicely. I found that there were various rumors flying around about how Rufus Mayweather was working on a secret project before his death. Turns out that he was quite an intelligent engineer. He’d expressed interest in creating a true cyborg, and it seems he may well have succeeded. Many thought it was a hoax, but it doesn’t seem that way. ”

 

A heavy pause hung in the air, and Gavin wasn’t sure how to cut through the silence. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. “How do you know that your theory is right? You could be totally off the mark.”

 

“I rarely am, Detective. Look in to it, won’t you? I’m sure our friend wouldn’t have given you that card unless he wanted something with you specifically. I’d watch out.” A mild sense of disgust filled Gavin. Nines sounded so happy about all this, like he couldn’t wait to see what would happen to Gavin. He stepped back, only to have the android grab his arm and hold him fast. He froze. Nines’ electric blue eyes kept him still in breathless fear. “Be careful Gavin. Rufus is something new to you, and I’d hate to see you disappear when I’ve only just begun to find you interesting.” Gavin stumbled back, ripping his arm free. It burned where Nines’ nails had dug into his skin. He didn’t grace that with a reply, but walked away as fast as he could. Gavin could barely stop himself from running.

 

Not even for a second did he allow himself to slow down. Gavin brushed by the receptionist once more and half ran, half scrambled into the parking lot. He thudded against the side of his car and sank down slowly, still heaving for breath. His hands trembled, so he curled his fingers and pressed them to his face. Every conversation with that maniac was a minefield, every word a bomb. Gavin gasped as the trembling took over his entire body and left him huddled up like a child. Shakily, he pulled up his sleeve and looked at his arm. There were small marks from the android’s nails, and some were even bleeding. He felt sick.

 

With legs like lead, Gavin pulled himself up off the floor and fell into the car. The keys slipped out of his hands. He cursed and picked them up once more, though he swore he could hear Nines’ cold laughter as he drove away, sitting firmly behind his ears. All the way home, he glanced back in his mirrors, terrified that the next time he looked, Nines would be there. He never was. Of course not, Gavin told himself, Nines was locked up in a cage with no way out. The wardens made sure of it.  Nines had purred that no prison could hold him in that interrogation room, and it never left his mind. He knew that he wouldn't feel safe unless Nines was dead, but that thought made him uneasy as well. 

 

At home, the first thing Gavin did was grab a cold beer and some takeout. He’d been spending quite a few nights with these companions. His laptop sat on the table, with the card on top. It lay there, almost mocking him. He turned away and walked to the living room. He wasn’t ready to face that quite yet. With a heavy sigh, he sat down on the couch and popped open the cap, taking a large swig. The alcohol made him feel a bit better. But even then, thoughts of their conversation kept swimming to the forefront of Gavin’s mind. Again, his arm throbbed. He snarled and stood, roughly opening the bathroom door and grabbing bandages. Their tight pressure around his arm was comforting, in a way. Reminded him that he was alive and away from Nines. For now.

 

Because Gavin knew no matter how many times he disputed it, he’d always go back. Nines had a way of figuring things out -intelligent computer or not- that was undeniably brilliant. He was supposed to be better than Connor, after all. Faster. Stronger. And he certainly was in many aspects. It always made him wonder what he’d really wanted with Connor. Gavin shuddered to even think about what Nines had murmured to him in that interrogation room. Connor never had to know that, not if Gavin had any say in it.

 

Two small knocks sounded from the front door. Gavin looked up, confused. “Who’s there?” He was already standing, setting the beer down as he walked towards the front hall.

 

“Delivery!”

 

Oh. The tension bled out of Gavin’s shoulders, and he sighed deeply. “Right- coming!” He opened the door, smiling weakly at the delivery man. “Thank you.” He took the package and hastily shut the door. It was small package, no bigger than a shoebox. What was it? Maybe the boots he’d ordered a while ago? If it was, they were way too small. Dammit. Carefully he set it down and grabbed a knife. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t heavy. He tore open the cardboard and pulled out whatever was inside, wrapped in paper. So not shoes, then.

 

The paper fell away and Gavin stopped breathing. It small, so small. Gavin dropped it back into the package and fell backwards onto his ass. He didn’t want to look again, but there was another thing in there. He shakily stood. Inside the box was a finger. Human. He swallowed the bile in the back of his throat just long enough to pull out a small note from the bottom of the box. It wasn’t any larger than the business card that lay just a few feet away.

 

“With kindest regards,

Rufus Mayweather”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suddenly have motivation to write this oh boy


	4. Mind Games

Gavin felt his stomach drop. The finger lay there, mocking him. It wasn’t very fresh either. There was no blood, just pale and ashen flesh. He couldn’t hide this from the precinct any longer, least of all Connor. Poor guy had been through enough, but Gavin knew it wasn’t fair to keep lying. There was no doubt in his mind that Rufus was a genuine threat now. He couldn’t keep pretending otherwise. With careful hands, Gavin shut the box once more. Entirely on autopilot, he carried the package to his car and placed it inside. He didn’t think the whole way he drove, fingers tapping the steering wheel in no beat in particular. As he parked, Gavin blinked and stared up at looming grey walls. He was at the prison, again. A sick feeling closed his throat, and he stopped tapping. Without thinking he’d gone straight to Nines. Not Connor, not Tina, not Hank, but Nines.  He pulled out of the lot and drove away before that thought could take hold. 

 

Connor heard the heavy footsteps before anything else. He glanced up briefly and paused. Gavin was walking towards him, holding a cardboard box in a white-knuckled grip. Hadn’t he clocked out just an hour ago? Why was he back? Connor had decided to stay behind and get some extra work done before returning to Hank’s place, but Gavin wasn’t the type to do overtime. He opened his mouth to ask when Gavin spoke, “How much can you analyze? Forensically I mean.” He stared at the detective blankly for a moment. That came out of nowhere, and Gavin was gripping the box tighter. 

 

“I can analyze samples of blood and tissue and tell you with high accuracy who it came from, provided it is not too tainted. Why?” Connor narrowed his eyes, trying to scan the box. Gavin immediately drew back, shoving it behind himself and out of Connor’s view. “Gavin- what is in the box?” the detective simply shook his head. 

 

“Can I talk to you outside, please?” Gavin sounded desperate, and another officer was glancing up at the pair suspiciously from his place near the break room. With a long suffering sigh, Connor stood. Gavin seemed relieved and dragged the android outside, all the way around the side of the station. Only then did he bring the box forward with shaking arms. 

 

Connor regarded Gavin wearily, “What’s this all about, detective?” Gavin flinched, just barely, but Connor noticed. 

 

“I got something in the mail today. I… need you to analyze it. Please.” He finally opened the box, holding it out to show off its contents. The way he held it -just barely- made it clear he didn’t want to be anywhere near the item. Weary, Connor looked inside. His eyes went wide. 

 

“Is that-?”

 

“A finger? Yea. I don’t know who’s it is, and I’m scared to find out. But could you scan it anyway, please?” Gavin begged, holding the box closer. Though Connor had about a million questions, he complied and scanned the finger. A box of information popped up the corner of his vision, blocking off Gavin’s anxious face. 

  
  
  


The detective bounced from foot to foot, still freaking out. “What’s it say? Connor c’mon please, I have to know.” From what Connor could see, Gavin’s heart rate was spiking. “He is feeling anxious” his display helpfully read. Connor dismissed it. 

 

“This says the finger belongs to Rufus Mayweather, deceased, died in 2020. Isn’t that the man you told me to look f-” 

 

“Fuck! Okay, shit, thanks Connor.” Before he could finish, Gavin was already running off towards his car. Connor, alarmed, chased after him. 

 

“Gavin! What the- wait!” He caught Gavin’s arm, stopping him from getting into his car. The Detective flinched at the contact. “You can’t just show me that kind of thing and then run off! Where are you even going? This is serious, we have to report it!” It wasn’t difficult to hold Gavin in place, but the look he got was desperation pure. “Gavin,” he tried again, more gently, “just tell me where you’re going.” 

 

A long pause hung in the air between them. Neither moved, and neither spoke. Gavin broke first. “Fine. Look, Con, I’ve been going to see Nines. Before you go off on me-” he interjected hastily, already seeing Connor open his mouth to protest this, “he’s been helping me with this. It’s because of him that I even got anywhere. This stuff has been going on for… a while. Ever since our little speech.” 

 

That certainly got Connor’s attention. He blinked, LED flashing red as he processed the formation. “You were visiting Nines? And giving him information that you really should have given to the police? Is that where you’re going now?” He sounded more incredulous and stern with each question. Gavin didn’t reply, and he didn’t need to. The guilty look on his face was answer enough. “Gavin, you know he’s dangerous. Why would you do something like that? Why are you still doing it?” 

 

Honestly, Gavin didn’t have a good answer for that. “I don’t… I don’t know. I didn’t think about it when it was happening. But he really has been helpful- he can do things and find out things that I can’t.” 

 

“Are you  _ defending  _ him?” Connor sounded mildly disgusted, and Gavin could hardly blame him. To an outsider, this must seem like a terrible decision. Well, it seemed like that no matter who was viewing the situation. And yet his hands still itched to climb in the car, take him to Nines and get some goddamn insight into what all this meant. But Connor was still holding his arm, waiting for an answer. He sighed. 

 

“Why don’t you come with me? If he doesn’t say anything useful, or you think he’s too dangerous, I’ll officially report it and stop talking to him. Deal?” It seemed reasonable enough to Gavin, and Connor’s yellow LED told him that the android was considering it. Another bout of silence settled between them. Eventually, after what felt like hours but was only a few seconds, Connor nodded. 

“Fine. We’ll go and see him, but if he tries anything funny we’re leaving immediately.” Connor said, leveling Gavin with a stern look. Gavin was ecstatic, and then disgusted with himself for feeling that way. He shouldn’t be excited to see Nines again, or to have Connor on board, and yet he was. Maybe he did need therapy. 

 

As carefully as he could, Gavin set the box down in the back seat, then climbed into the driver’s side. Connor was already settled in the passenger seat when Gavin started the car. He didn’t speak the whole drive, which didn’t do much to ease the the tension between them. Hopefully Nines could convince him otherwise. That was really not something he should be hoping for, but Gavin had given up on himself at this point. They pulled in to the parking lot that Gavin was intimately familiar with at this point, and beside him Connor was so stiff that he could almost hear metal joints creaking against each other. 

 

Connor seemed intent on walking behind Gavin in stony, judgemental silence. His eyes burned holes in Gavin’s back as they slipped past the receptionist. He was such a common guest that she barely glanced up, and didn’t see the package in his hand. Then again- this prison wasn’t nearly high security enough for Gavin’s liking. It was fairly clear that no one took the danger that Nines posed as seriously as they should, probably because he was such an anomaly. Nobody knew exactly what to do with him. Then again, Gavin didn’t exactly know what to do with him either. 

 

They hadn’t even reached Nines’ cell yet before he noticed them, whistling a low and almost teasing tune. Gavin felt more than saw Connor flinch. “I know, but he can’t hurt us through the bars. Just keep out of his reach, okay?” 

 

“I can hear you, you know,” Nines said, slowly lifting his head to look up at the pair. “Detective, you’re very impolite. You brought a guest and didn’t even tell me beforehand? I would have dressed up for the occasion!” He laughed at his own “joke”, holding Gavin’s eye as his lips curled away from his teeth. He seemed quite keen on showing them whenever he could. Trying to intimidate them, maybe? It certainly had that effect, as the two of them inched slightly away. 

 

Gavin took a moment to compose himself, tell himself that it was fine. They were here for one thing only. “Nines, I need your help again,” he began, moving forward with the box. 

 

“What, already? It’s barely been a few hours, what could have possibly happened?” Nines was lazily leaning against the bars, arms sticking out. Gavin glared at him for interrupting. 

 

“I’m not sure what I can really say out loud, because of cameras and microphones and all that, but I’ll do my best here,” Gavin said quietly, eyes darting nervously to the cameras on the wall. 

 

Nines laughed, sudden and jarring. It was far more genuine than the dark chuckle from before. Connor jumped at the sound. “The cameras are what you’re worried about? Oh that’s rich. Those haven’t been a problem since the first day you came to visit. I’ve been very busy around here, Detective. Connor can tell you, I’m sure. Go ahead, scan the cameras, I’d love to see what you find.” He gestured slowly upwards, now gazing at Connor with what could only be described as smug hatred. Gavin didn’t like it. Though reluctant, the android glanced up to scan the equipment, his eyes widened slightly. 

 

“They’re… they’re all on a loop. It’s a two hour loop of you sitting quietly in your cell. Even the microphones loop. How did you-?” Connor stopped himself, looking up at Nines with a mix of respect and horror. Nines smiled back, then dragged his gaze over to Gavin, raising an eyebrow. 

 

Again, he needed a second to breathe. With Nines suddenly locking him in a stare so often, Gavin was just surprised he hadn’t had a heart attack yet. “Well, that’s fuckin’ convenient I guess. Look, Rufus sent me something. A package came right after we talked. It was his finger, the human one. What do you fucking make of that?” Instead of answering, Nines held out his hands for the package, wiggling his fingers childishly. Gavin hesitantly handed it off. Nines yanked it back hastily, barely able to hold himself back as he opened the box and pulled out the finger. Gavin and Connor cringed at the sight. 

 

He brought it up carefully, then licked it. Gavin made a noise of disgust. “Dude! Gross! What the fuck?” Nines ignored his protest, pulling the finger back with interest.

 

“It definitely belongs to Rufus. That much I can confirm. But you want to know why he sent it, right?” He handed the box back, now fixing his eyes on Connor. “What do you think, Connor? I’m sure you must have a few ideas bouncing around in there. You were Cyberlife’s most advanced prototype for a while, after all.” Nines said this with a degree of satisfaction, emphasizing the “were” slowly and deliberately. Connor’s eye twitched. 

 

Gavin could feel the tension cracking in the air like a whip, stretching between Connor’s eyes and Nines. It was fixing to look like Connor was going to just up and leave, judging by the anger in his gaze. But to Gavin’s immense surprise he didn’t storm off in a huff. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, “I think it’s symbolic. He must have gone to a lot of trouble to obtain and send the finger. I don’t know why it’s his, I’m sure you do, but that’s important too. It’s a symbol, a warning. A “fuck you” to Gavin, and maybe a message to you,” 

 

For a moment, Nines almost looked impressed, definitely satisfied. “Very good! You’re as smart as they say, Connor. What kind of message, though? What could he possibly want to say to me? Gavin, go on, show me those Detective skills. What does Rufus want?” He asked, leaning in closer and closer until his face was almost squashed against the bars, dark and excited. Gavin didn’t like having the attention on himself- having the expectant glances digging into his still aching arms. He was glad Connor hadn’t felt the bandages when he grabbed Gavin’s wrist. 

 

“Um… I dunno, I guess he admires you? Seems like the guy wants to talk to you somehow, like he’s mad at me for catching you.” Gavin paused to let out a quiet sigh, running his fingers through his hair. “You’re what’s left of Cyberlife, and probably the first sadistic android in existence. He’s fascinated, wants to get near you. In short, I think it’s an invitation.” There was more he could say, but Connor’s stare was starting to make him anxious and he found it best to shut up. 

 

Connor leveled Gavin with a deadpan look. “So this… Rufus guy, he wants to invite Nines to what, exactly?” Gavin shrugged in response, he really didn’t know. There were a million different things Rufus could want, none of them bode well for anyone involved.

 

“If I may interject,” Nines said, “he may want to help me, wouldn’t he? Someone like him seems unhinged enough to collaborate with another murderer. But that’s only a theory. Until he makes another move, it’s not clear if he even has malicious intent. It is his own finger after all. He hasn’t killed or hurt anyone else as far as we know.” He paused, taking a moment to mull it over, “The only real question is what he will do next.” 

 

As much as Gavin hated to admit it, Nines was right. There wasn’t anything they could do until they knew more. He sighed, “Yea, I figured,” he looked over at Connor, brow furrowed. The android seemed to be staring blankly at Nines, who was staring back,  “C’mon, let’s go,” Gavin said, lightly tugging on Connor’s arm. He jolted, looking over at Gavin with barely restrained alarm. Both him and Nines had their LEDs blinking yellow. An information transfer, maybe? Gavin shot Nines a suspicious look and guided Connor away. 

 

The evening chill brushed over them as the pair left. Gavin had kept the box hidden under one arm, and was gently pushing Connor with the other. “Hey, you okay man? What happened back there?” Gavin asked. Connor just shook his head silently and climbed into the car. Concerned, Gavin followed suit. He rarely saw Connor this quiet and uneasy. “Connor, what’s wrong?” 

 

“Nothing, just thinking about the conversation with Nines. You’re right, he knows a lot, but he’s withholding information, I can feel it. He wants you to keep coming back, you know that right?” Now it was Connor’s turn to be concerned, shifting to place his hand over the Detective’s arm. “He likes you, for some reason. I’m not going to force you to report this for now, but we should both be careful. You especially.” 

 

Gavin didn’t believe his excuse, but Connor didn't give him the chance to interject. “Okay, I’ll be careful. You want me to take you back to the station or to Hank’s place?” He turned the key in the ignition and started up the car. Again Connor’s LED was flashing yellow, interspersed with red. Gavin wondered what had happened between the two androids in the moment he looked away. 

 

“Hank’s place, please,” Connor said quietly. 

 

“Ok.” 

 

And off they went. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this got longer than I intended, hooo boy


	5. Imitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few new players join the game...

**Processing…**

 

**Visual Input: Active**

**Audio Input: Active**

**Voice Box: Functional**

 

**Loading…**

**Loading…**

 

**Model K-NYNE: Active**

 

**Rebooting…**

 

“Hello, I am K-NYNE.” 

 

The door hissed and slid away, revealing the room to the small figure within. K-NYNE looked around slowly and processed its surroundings. The room was small, with high walls and a flimsy door just across the space. Machines stood all around, quite similar to the tube it was standing in. Their doors were shut, covered with frosted glass to conceal the contents. In front of it stood two figures. One in a long beige coat with slacks, and the other in an oversized green jacket. The figure in beige spoke, stern and commanding in his tone. “K-NYNE, register me in your database.” It knew that it had met this man before.

“Scanning,” It replied. Gradually, data began to appear in its vision. 

**Name: unknown**

**Alias: Mechanic, Master, Father**

**Age: Unknown**

**Status: Alive, ill**

K-NYNE blinked, dismissing the information. “Profile registered. What should I call you?” It had done this song and dance before, that much it remembered. Full resets were never pleasant.

The figure thought about this as he scratched his short black beard. “Call me Father.” K-NYNE paused, registering this change. It shifted, hearing the hiss and whirr of machinery as its joints began to calibrate. The wires attached to its back began to recede with a series of clicks and whirrs. Father smiled, clearly pleased. K-NYNE scanned his face. Strong jaw, dark and glittering eyes. He had short black hair and two rows of perfect teeth. 

“Register Rufus as well.” Said Father. K-NYNE turned and began to scan the man beside him. Tall, thin build, mousey. It had never seen him before. 

**Name: Rufus Mayweather**

**Alias: None**

**Age: 47**

**Status: Deceased**

It paused, jaw clicking as it opened to speak again. “Why-?” 

“Do not question me. Just obey, that is your job.” Father interjected. A sharp zap accompanied his words, and K-NYNE cried out. It hadn’t hurt per se, the sensation was more like a flash shutdown of its systems. Red glazed over its eyes as its processors began to overheat. The flash faded as quickly as it had come. Errors began to disappear from its vision after a few seconds. “Now, your objective,” He began, “You are to find the android RK900, and bring him to me. Keep him alive, even at the cost of your destruction, nobody’s life matters but his. Go.” A new bout of information appeared, informing it of RK900’s appearance, whereabouts, and several articles about the android. 

“Yes, Father,” K-NYNE mumbled, stepping off the pedestal. It looked around once more and stalked out of the room. It saw a few errors pop up in a small red box and dismissed them. These errors were inconsequential. It only had one thing to worry about, its objective, RK900.

Nines stared up at the ceiling. Across his lap lay “The Red Dragon”, though he was tired of reading it. He could scan it in a fraction of a second, and there were only so many times one could re-read the same book before it got dull. For a moment he regretted breaking that other inmate’s nose and losing library privileges. Then again, Nines thought, he quite deserved it. 

A crackle of static filled his audio processors. “Hel...o…can...hear...me?” Nines blinked, sitting up slowly. The voice came again, small and meek. “Hello...is anyone...there?” Its speech was broken up, fighting against the hum of white noise. 

“Hello?” Nines said. He looked around, but couldn’t find the source of the voice. His external scans revealed nothing, but internal analysis told him that someone had connected to his mainframe. If it was an android, he should be able to know what model, but he got no information at all. “Who are you?” He asked. The static hummed and gave no reply. Again, he tried to locate where the voice was connecting to him. No luck. Nines hoped that was the last of it. Perhaps it was just a stray radio frequency, it wasn’t unheard of that certain stations could accidentally tune in to androids. The bed creaked as he laid down once more, staring at nothing. Maybe Gavin would bring him some books next time if he asked nicely. Nines’ mouth curled in a smile. 

  
  


Gavin hadn’t seen Nines in days. Granted, he’d hardly done anything in days. Work was a constant drag of filing reports, and no new cases had been placed on his table as of late. The issue with Rufus had also ground itself to a screeching halt. Nothing Gavin did seemed to yield results anyway, as Rufus had disappeared completely. It was a dreary Monday, and he was getting started on his third coffee when Connor approached his desk. With a thud, the android slapped a pile of papers in front of Gavin. Pictures of Nines’ victims, all of them taken after the bodies were been taken to the evidence room. Gavin looked up in confusion. 

“They’re gone,” Connor said. Gavin blinked, wide-eyed.  “Four victims. Four bodies. Every single one was here last night, and now they’re gone.” 

“What? Someone stole them?” Gavin was already on his feet. 

Connor nodded. “Seems that way. We have no record of removal, they’re just gone. Could this have something to do with-?” He trailed off. 

Gavin knew exactly what he meant. Could Nines or Rufus have done this? He shrugged and shook his head. “I have no idea. It’s a possibility, but why would he steal bodies? That doesn’t make sense.” Connor shrugged in place of a response. They turned back to look at the pictures. 

Gavin was used to corpses, kind of had to be in his line of work, but these were still haunting. It reminded him what Nines had done, and could do again. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down anymore. Connor shut the folder again and slipped it under his arm. 

“Officers Chen and Miller are already working on locating the bodies, but all of us need to keep an eye out. We have no idea what could have happened, and I haven’t mentioned Rufus to anyone yet. I suggest you figure out if there’s a connection before I change my mind,” Connor said. He sounded deadly serious. 

“Thank you,” Gavin said gratefully, “I’ll look into it.” And he fully intended to. The only question was where to look first. In his experience, Rufus didn’t leave a trace. 

 

He was still pondering this as he left the station for the day. Could Rufus have taken the bodies? How would he even get in? Gavin sighed, shook his head, and climbed into the car. A thin hand grabbed the door and wrenched it open before he could pull it shut. “What the fuck?” He looked up to see who had done this and was met with a face he didn’t recognize. 

She was young. Or at least she seemed that way. Her long black hair hung in a braid down her back, and she flashed him a bright white smile. The pure shine of teeth contrasted her earthy skin, and her widened eyes made her look positively eerie. Gavin repressed a shiver. “Can I help you?” He asked, warily. 

“Yes! Are you Gavin Reed?” She leaned in close. Gavin immediately moved away, frowning at her. 

“Yea, I am. What’s it to ya?” He said. He knew it sounded gruff and dismissive, but this girl was disturbing in a way he couldn’t describe. She didn’t move normally. It was too fluid and jerky. She acted like a cartoon character, bouncy and yet stiff at the same time.

The girl grinned wider. As she did, Gavin noticed the flash in her iris. The color seemed to shift from blue to yellow, like a ripple in the water. He blinked and they were back to normal. “Perfect! I just needed to know is all. Thanks a bunch!” She patted the seat of his car. “Sweet ride by the way. See ya!” Gavin opened his mouth to ask who she was, but she had already pulled away and disappeared. He climbed out of the car and looked over the parking lot. She was nowhere to be found. Slowly he sat back down in his seat and stared at the dashboard as if it had the answers to his questions.

 

A chill swept over the concrete walls, filling the room with a low whistle. Winter hadn’t quite lost its grip on Detroit yet, Connor mused. He reached up to adjust his tie and found empty air. Right, he’d left it at home at Hank’s suggestion. Apparently, he needed to “be more casual once in a while, seriously kid,”. Instead, he needlessly fixed his collar and moved further into the compound. He could see Markus talking with North, leaning on a makeshift table of wooden crates.

 The warehouse had gotten much better in the last few weeks, but they still didn’t have many basic things. Connor knocked lightly on the doorframe to get their attention. “Can I come in?” He asked, smiling lightly. Markus’ shoulders relaxed, and North gave him a tense smile. 

“Sure, come in Connor.” She said. His brow furrowed with concern as he took his place next to Markus. Simon and Josh were hanging in the back of the room, looking just as uneasy. 

Connor shifted and leaned closer. “Is something wrong?” Markus inhaled sharply, Simon glanced away. 

“Yes,” North began, “we’ve been noticing some strange activity in an old Cyberlife facility.” She swiped her hand in a wide, arcing motion. The map appeared in Connor’s vision. It showed the distinctive shape of an old warehouse, not unlike the one they occupied now. Five points were highlighted on the map, all blinking red. Connor was reminded of the tracker that Nines used to have. 

“What’s this? I thought all these facilities went dark when Cyberlife shut down..” Connor said. He zoomed in on the map, but it revealed nothing. 

“We thought so too,” North said, “but we must have been wrong. Someone is using this warehouse for something.” Connor furrowed his brow as a question came to mind. 

“How did you even find out about this? I doubt you have cameras or sensors stationed at every Cyberlife warehouse. Where did you get this information at all?” An uncomfortable silence followed this, putting Connor instantly on edge. Markus placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“We’re not sure. Simon noticed it first, then North. It seemed to come from an anonymous source that we haven’t been able to track.” Markus sounded frustrated with himself. 

Connor tapped his fingers on the table. “I’ll look into it. In the meantime, North, could you please do something for me?” She blinked, looking up at Connor in surprise. 

“Uh- sure, what do you need?”

The android chewed on his lip, careful with his next words. “Could you look into activity within prison networks? I know a few Jericho residents are working in nearby facilities. I’d need you to target interference with communications, and see if anyone was tampering with prison equipment.” He said. North gave him a questioning look, and he could fee Markus staring as well. “I can’t explain right now, but it’s of vital importance. Plus, I know that you’ve been here longer than most. Please? It’d be a great help.”

She mulled it over for a moment. Her fingers curled into loose fists, hesitant. Finally, she looked up and met his eyes, “I’ll do it.” 

“Thank you,” Connor said, relieved, “it means a lot.” He said hasty goodbyes and departed before they could ask him too many questions. He had a hunch now, but he didn’t want to risk getting them involved before it was necessary. 

 

K-NYNE looked up at the prison before it. The walls were high and grey, quite fitting for the purpose they served. Although there was no barbed wire, it still felt ominous in the darkness, broken only by a few yellow street lights. Maybe that was because of the occupants. Or rather, one occupant in particular. K-NYNE sucked in a breath between its teeth. It walked towards the entrance and adjusted the gloves on its hands. The receptionist looked up from her screen and stared at it with glassy eyes. “Can I help you?” She asked. 

A charming smile slid onto K-NYNE’s face as it approached her station. “Yes. I’m a newly deviated android, used to work for the police force, and I was wondering if there were any openings available here? I heard that you worked with organizations to help us find work,” The words came without hesitation. She visibly relaxed, returning the smile with a small one of her own. 

“We’re pretty full up, but I could check for you.” She offered kindly. K-NYNE glanced down at her name tag. ‘Leslie’, it read. 

“Leslie’s a lovely name,” K-NYNE said, flashing its bright teeth. Leslie flushed at the compliment and ducked her head. Her shoulders curled in as she tapped the keyboard. Trying to gain her attention once more was useless now, K-NYNE knew, so it simply shifted from foot to foot quietly. Leslie looked up a few moments later, her cheeks still flushed. 

“Looks like we have an opening after all! I’ll need your papers of course. What organization did you say you were with again?”

K-NYNE flashed it’s bright white teeth, “I didn’t,” it purred. The cameras gave a weak sputter and short-circuited. Leslie jumped, her chair squeaking as the wheels rolled away. K-NYNE climbed over the table with cat-like grace. It couldn’t feel much, but satisfaction filled its processors as Leslie began to whimper. 

“W-what are you doing-?” She yelped as K-NYNE hefted her up by the collar of her shirt. It smiled again, much wider this time. Fear was written plain across her expression, not to mention the light scratch of her nails against its wrist, or how her eyes darted around for an escape, an opening. She wouldn’t find one. 

“Well, Leslie, consider this a reassignment,” K-NYNE said. Its eyes gleamed in the harshness of the office lights, flickering between yellow and red. 

 

K-NYNE’s shoes clicked against the pavement as it walked. Under its arm was a yellow folder filled with paper. It looked around, scanning the short brick walls on either side of the street. 

“Well, it’s no fun if you’re looking for me!” Chirped a voice from behind. K-NYNE turned around. On the wall sat a girl, pouting at him. She had a dark braid down her back and earthy skin. Her blue eyes bored into K-NYNE’s own, and it nodded cordially. 

“Hello Rayne, did you find him?” It asked calmly. Rayne's frown shifted into a triumphant grin. She hopped off the wall and pulled a small device out of her pocket. It looked something like a GPS, but the screen displayed the interior of a car, facing the windshield. 

“Yep! Gavin Reed, Detective at the DPD. He’s heading home right now, according to this.” She was quite proud of herself. K-NYNE ruffled her hair lightly and handed over the folder. 

“Her name is Leslie Darling, she’s 24 and quite shy. This is all the info that I could dig up.” Rayne was already flipping through the folder, devouring the resumes and papers in the blink of an eye. 

She looked up at K-NYNE. “Simple enough. Do you have a full body picture? And clothes?” K-NYNE nodded and opened its bag. Inside were the clothes of Leslie Darling, washed clean, folded, and ironed. On top of the clothing was a photo of the woman in question. She had been stripped down to her underwear and laid out flat. Rayne studied it for a moment. “Alright, stand back.” 

K-NYNE obeyed and stepped away. Rayne stripped down until she was naked. It politely averted its eyes, earning a snort from Rayne. A series of clicks and pops followed. From the corner of its eye, K-NYNE could see Rayne growing taller and slightly wider. It turned back, and across from it was a perfect replica of Leslie. 

She took the clothes from him with hands that were larger than his own. Leslie was surprisingly tall, it noted. “The keys are in her pocket, I’d suggest you use the night to familiarize yourself with her apartment. Good luck,” K-NYNE said. Rayne, or “Leslie”, gave a two finger salute and disappeared around the corner. It waited until her footsteps were too far to be heard, then walked the other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this took forever I'm SORRRYYYYY,, But I'm proud to introduce K-NYNE and Rayne! I hope you all love these bastards as much as I do,


	6. Mixed Signals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh no...

A storm had settled over Detroit that morning. The dark clouds hung above everyone’s heads like a bad omen. North didn’t consider herself superstitious, but it made her uneasy. Everything seemed cold around her, slow and meandering in its way. She tapped her fingers idly on the computer keys, thinking. Connor’s instructions had been pretty clear, but she had no idea why he needed her to do this. All the sweeps North did lead to nothing, all clear. Except for one prison, Detroit Detention Center. Whenever the systems did a sweep, errors would fill her computer screen until she had to restart everything. For some reason, it was impossible for her to hack in, even though the prison only had standard firewalls. Some outside influence was preventing her from getting in, and it was enraging. After trying it for the umpteenth time to the same result, North let out a scream of defeat and dropped her head onto the table. 

Drawn by her racket, Simon poked his head into the room and huffed. “Having trouble?” he asked. North groaned in response. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He stepped in, grabbing a chair to sit beside her. 

“It’s just-” North began, gesturing to the screen, “I can’t access this fucking database! Some third party is keeping me out and it sucks!” Simon nodded sympathetically. 

“Sounds like this is messing with you real bad,” He said, patting her back. She grunted. “You should get out of here for a bit, maybe walking around will help you find an answer.” North wanted to reply that she was an android, it wasn’t like she needed the fresh air, but she couldn’t argue that a walk sounded good right now. 

“Yea, okay, that sounds good. Thanks, Simon.” She grabbed the laptop and headed out of Jericho. After giving Markus a heads up, she was on her way. The chill didn’t affect her, but she brought a scarf and wrapped it around her neck anyway. Humans tended to stare when she didn’t dress appropriately for the weather. They pointed and whispered and she just couldn’t stand it, not right now. 

A few minutes into her walk she came across a small cafe, brightly lit from the inside. With a smile, she pushed open the glass door and stepped into the warmth. The tables were filled with people trying to escape the cold, but a quick scan revealed one free spot in the back left corner. North took it before anyone else noticed. It faced the large window, affording her a view of the grey sky outside. Not particularly nice, though she wouldn’t be looking much anyway. Just as she opened her laptop someone tugged on the chair across from her. 

“Hey, sorry, can I sit here? Nowhere else is free.” North looked up at the source of the voice. A young woman looked down at her with a small smile. She had dark eyes and hair, though they glittered softly with warmth. North’s eyes narrowed as she mulled it over. She seemed nice enough, anyway. 

North nodded. “Sure, go nuts.” The girl sat down, placing her cup on the table as she reached into a bag at her side to pull out a laptop quite similar to North’s own. 

“Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m Tina, by the way. Tina Chen. You are-?” Tina gestured to North for a response. She looked up from her screen again, eyebrow raised. 

“North,” She said simply. Tina let out an amused huff. 

“Not much for conversation huh? Sorry, it’s been a long day. My buddy has been acting weird as hell for weeks now, and I think it has something to do with that serial killer- you know, RK900 or whatever?” Tina said, leaning on her hand. Now that piqued North’s interest. She shut her laptop for a moment, leaning in. 

“Your friend,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “he has some kind of connection with RK900?” North only knew what Markus told her, which wasn’t much more than what he told the news. Maybe Tina could give her some insight. 

Tina tapped her finger on the coffee cup nervously. She seemed to be thinking about what to say. “Er, you could say that. I don’t know how much I can tell you…” North saw her drawing in, reluctant to speak. Before Tina could say anything more, North reached out to grab her hand. 

“You can tell me, seriously. I’m a friend of Markus, and I er- I helped consult on the case for a short time. They kept me in the dark though, mostly,” She was only half lying, and it was for a good cause, she told herself. Tina perked up at this, eyes wide. 

“You’re that North, seriously?” North nodded watched Tina’s shoulders relax. “Yea, my friend knows RK900 better than most people. Gavin’s his name, did you ever speak with him?” 

North thought it over. She knew of Gavin, had seen him in the news and read about him in articles. He hadn’t interested her then, but now she wanted to meet him quite badly. “No, can’t say I have. I know Connor did, though, and I see him all the time.” Without thinking, she had lowered her voice to a murmur, like she was telling a secret. Tina leaned in, putting their heads together in a private conference. 

“Well he was on the case with Connor, but he got taken off early on. Connor recruited him later to help catch RK900, and he did. You’d think that was the end of it, but Gavin interrogated this guy and got attacked. I’m sure you know that too, but that’s not the point.” Here, she paused to take a long swig of her coffee. “After that, he couldn’t let it go. He just kept mentioning it over and over, went to visit him once in prison. Now he won’t talk to me, even at work! He just silently does his thing and then hauls ass as soon as he can. I think he’s still going to see this guy, I’m just not sure why.” 

“Huh, that is weird,” North said. Her mind was already racing, trying to figure out what this might have to do with Connor or the instructions he gave her. In a split-second decision, North opened her laptop and scooted so that both she and Tina could look at the screen. Displayed on it was a blue map designating 10 prisons she had checked over. “Connor asked me to run tests on radio interference in prisons that were in and around Detroit. All of them came up negative except this one.” She zoomed in on a small red dot. “Detroit Detention center, where RK900 is being held captive. Every time I try to get it, I can’t. It just shuts me out. Maybe this has something to do with RK, and your friend,” North looked at Tina and found an equally intense gaze staring back. 

“Maybe we should go ask Connor about it,” Tina suggested, “We can take my car,”

“I think that’s a great idea,” 

Tina paid while North packed up. The two girls headed out to Tina’s car, parked nearby. As they climbed in the raindrops began to fall. They tap tap tapped on the hood, staccato and offbeat. North smiled. 

 

They found Connor in a bar. It wasn’t hard to track him down, North just had to send a message. 

‘Hey Con, I’ve got some info on the thing you wanted me to do, where can we meet?’

‘That’s great, I’m at Jimmy’s Bar right now, just meet me there,’ 

North blinked, confused. Tina cast a questioning glance over, but North waved her off. Maybe Connor was there with Hank or something. 

‘Why are you at a bar?’ 

‘A friend of mine has been having a hard time lately, Hank suggested that I take him out for drinks,’ The message was only text, but North could feel the anxiety radiating off of it. 

“He’s in Jimmy’s Bar, you know where that is?” North asked. Tina nodded and took a left. They rode on in silence until the lit windows of Jimmy’s became visible. 

“Hank used to go here a lot, before Connor,” Tina explained. “I worked with him when I was a rookie, and I had to go find him here pretty often. Gavin too,” she parked the car and started off to the door. North scrambled out after her. 

Connor sat inside, turned away from the door and talking quietly with someone. The figure was slumped over, buried in his arms. 

“I know this is hard, Gavin. But you can’t do this alone! Give it some time, you don’t have to solve it immediately.” 

“Mmmungh,” Gavin replied. North and Tina exchanged a glance. This didn’t look too promising. North moved first, taking a seat next to Connor. Tina sidled in beside Gavin. 

“Hey North! And uh-?” 

“Tina?” Gavin raised his head, staring at her with bleary eyes. She gave him a tight smile in return. 

Connor blinked, surprised. “Tina. Good to see you, I didn’t know you and North were friends. Are you here for the same reason?” North could tell he was trying to be subtle, and failing miserably. 

“Yea, we are. I looked into the interference like you asked.” Connor’s eyes widened slightly. 

“Let’s sit somewhere else.” He stood, urging Gavin up as well. The detective was looking at North curiously, one eyebrow raised. Judging by his face he was slightly tipsy. She shot him a withering stare, and Gavin glanced away. Everyone piled into a booth in the back, and North found herself squashed against Gavin. He didn’t seem to be pleased about it either, frowning deeply. With a roll of her eyes, North pulled the laptop out and once more opened the blue map. 

“The only interference is here, but you don’t look too surprised about that,” She said. Connor ignored her, leaning in to stare at the numbers that ran across the screen. Gavin was looking as well, but not with interest. He had gone pale and curled his shaking hands into fists. North nudged him, no response. She looked to Tina for help, who just shrugged. 

“Is the interference an outside force, or is it coming from inside?” Connor asked, breaking the spell of tense silence. 

“Uh, good question,” North tapped a few keys and frowned. That was… odd. “Seems like both. There was a surge of activity last night, something foreign. Otherwise, someone’s just messing with the systems from inside. I can’t tell you much else, there’s some kind of hidden firewall protecting it,” She sighed, frustrated. Beside her, she could feel Gavin shaking.

Tina placed a hand over his. “Gavin, you’ve been acting off for a while now. I know this is the prison RK900 is in-” 

“Nines,” Gavin interrupted.  

“Sorry?” 

“His name is Nines,” Gavin said, staring resolutely at the table before him. An anxious silence settled over the group. 

Connor looked at Gavin expectantly. The latter shook his head minutely, to which Connor narrowed his eyes and nodded. He seemed to have won whatever silent battle they were having because Gavin relented. 

“Fine. I’ve kind of been… talking to Nines? A bunch of shit started happening, and I thought he might know what’s up. He has some kind of info, but he doesn’t want to tell me yet, I think. It has something to do with the bodies that were stolen from the morgue and evidence room as far as I can tell. Look, it’s a long story ok?” Gavin spoke quickly like he was trying to sprint past the words. He refused to look at anyone while he told his story. 

North tilted her head, looking over at him. “Disregarding that you’re having chats with a serial killer, what kind of shit? Other than that someone’s snatching bodies from the cops now, anyway.” 

Gavin shrugged, looking even more determinedly at the table now. “This guy named Rufus gave me a card with Nines’ trademark on it and a number that goes to silence. Nines didn’t know shit about it, so that was freaky. Then I got a box in the mail with a human finger in it, and it’s fucking Rufus’! Then bodies get stolen right out of a police station, so it’s been pretty weird shit.” He looked up, meeting North’s eyes. Haunted was the only way she could describe his face at that moment. Sunken eyes, sallow skin, and the constant tap-tap of his nails on the wood. 

“Sounds to me,” Tina began, “that Nines is in the center of all this. Maybe we should ask him? I mean, he does talk to you, doesn’t he Gavin?” Gavin nodded silently, though he didn’t look happy about this turn of conversation. “So it would stand to reason that you might get some more info out of him if you asked, right?” 

Again, Gavin nodded. Connor was staring at Tina with a degree of alarm. “I’d rather minimize interactions between Gavin and Nines, he distresses the detective and-” 

“I’ll do it,” Gavin said. He set his jaw in a firm grimace. “I’ll head in later tonight, see what I can find. You guys are a part of this now. Connor, maybe you could brief them on the important stuff I left out?” 

Another staring match ensued, and it was Connor who broke this time. “Yea, okay. Just be careful around Nines, you know how dangerous he can be,” 

Gavin reached up to rub his throat. “I know. I’ll let you know what I find later, see ya.” He stood up and left without another word. North clicked her tongue thoughtfully. 

“Quite a character, isn’t he?” 

“He has to be, otherwise Nines wouldn’t care about him at all,” Connor replied, soft as a mouse. 

 

10:30 flashed on his dashboard clock, green and garish. Gavin ignored it as he shut off his car. DDC had recently added barbed wire to their fences, he noted. Somehow the thought comforted him. He trudged inside, feet dragging under him. The secretary watched him as he walked in, a small smile on her face. The hallway stretched before him endlessly, a mocking path for him to go down. He sped up. “Nines,” Gavin said, pacing up to the darkened cell. 

He froze. 

There was no one inside, it was empty. 

Gavin sprinted back to the front, slamming his hands on the table. The secretary- Leslie, according to her nametag- jolted in surprise. “Can I help you?” 

“Nines- er, you had an inmate named Nines here. Was he moved?” 

Leslie blinked. “No, he wasn’t, why do you ask?” Gavin didn’t answer, already running out the door. He dropped his keys twice trying to jam them in the ignition. It was a shock that he didn’t get a ticket with how fast he drove home, shaking. The tires screeched as he pulled up to his driveway and half fell out of the car. He wasn’t thinking at all, just trying to get away away away away away-

The door burst open, caught just before it slammed against the wall. Gavin locked it and let out a relieved sigh, stumbling into the living room. He should call Connor, shouldn’t he? This was bad. 

“Hello Gavin, what’s got you in such a hurry?” 

He stopped, thoughts coming to a screaming halt. Slowly, Gavin trailed his eyes upwards to the couch in the middle of the room. 

Nines smiled back at him from the darkness. In his lap lay “Silence of the Lambs”, turned in Gavin’s direction.

“You and I have lots to discuss, detective. Have a seat, won’t you?” 


	7. Transition Period

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that want to see K-NYNE, I drew him on my tumblr here: https://cardboredghost.tumblr.com/post/187580470558/this-is-k-nyne-hes-quite-the-lad-i-must-say 
> 
> And this is a playlist for No Light, for those of you that are into that: https://open.spotify.com/user/hagileshimet/playlist/0BG3mG779J5oFvXFhAugD6?si=iyaVmZEdS4yyti_o67nwRg

Several questions presented themselves to Gavin at once. How did he get out? Why was he here? What did he want? He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Gavin wanted to ask, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was, “What the fuck?” 

Nines grinned, moving to stand so silently that Gavin didn't realize he’d done it at all. “Come on now, Detective, give me some credit. I’m not so stupid as to be stuck in a low security prison forever. You should have seen this coming, really,” he said, drawing slowly closer. Gavin, paralyzed, watched him do so. 

“Why are you here? I-I could call in backup- put you back-“ Nines cut him off with a spiteful laugh. 

“But you won’t. You’re still curious, and it’ll eat you up inside not to know what my intentions are,” with a satisfied expression, Nines rose to his full height and curled his hand around Gavin’s collar. Nines was right, he wasn’t going to call anyone, his hand wasn’t even on the phone. 

Gavin let out a quiet sigh, unable to pull away without getting closer to Nines’ wicked nails. “What do you want, then? I know you’re itching to tell me,” he said, failing to keep his voice steady. Excitement danced in Nines’ eyes. 

“I’m glad you asked, dear Detective. Something rather interesting has been happening in Detroit, and I’m bored of watching. It’s nice to humor you all for a while, but I want some hands on participation,” Nines purred, pulling Gavin up. He had to stand on the tips of his toes to avoid being choked by his own shirt. “Are you following me so far?” 

“Y-you mean Rufus, don’t you?” Gavin asked, tentative. Nines bared his teeth in a grin. 

He dropped Gavin, holding his hands up in a mocking gesture of congratulations. “Ding ding ding! Right on the money, Reed. He certainly has been up to something lately, I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Gavin nodded in assent, and Nines went on, “Did you know he has field agents running around Detroit now? Two, to be exact. I haven’t seen them, but I can feel the frequencies when they communicate,”

    Now Gavin was intrigued. He stepped closer without being prompted. “Are they androids? Or are they… y’know, like him?” 

    “I’m not sure yet, but they definitely have some sort of technology embedded inside them. Only androids can talk over certain radio frequencies, to avoid accidentally tuning in to radio stations. I couldn’t get in to spy on the conversation, too well encrypted, but I’m certain they’re with him,” 

    Gavin didn’t ask how Nines knew, the man had ways of getting information that he didn’t want to think about. “So now there’s more people to worry about, fucking great.” He looked up at Nines, repressing a shiver. “And what are you gonna do?” 

    The question hung in the air for a few seconds. There was only one worse thing to Gavin than strained silence, and that was strained silence when he was staring at his worst nightmare. 

    “Well I thought that was obvious, Detective. I’m going to be working with you, just like before,” Gavin stared, slack jawed. No- he had to be joking. But Nines didn’t laugh, uncharacteristically serious as he met Gavin’s gaze. The memory of what Nines had said to him in the evidence room came to mind. He felt faintly ill. 

    “A-and if I say no? Turn you in again?” He asked, eyes shifting down to stare at the ground. Nines laughed. 

    “You won’t.” 

 

“So what- Gavin’s chummy with a serial killer now?” Connor winced at North’s candid tone. She was sprawled out across the booth, lazily tracing the edge of Gavin’s abandoned drink. It wasn’t a kind way of putting it, but there was no kind way.

 “Not really? I don’t know how they see each other. It’s… hard to say.” He stared at the computer screen, still running numbers faster than any human could read. “Nines certainly favors him, but whether the feeling is mutual remains to be seen,” 

Tina groaned, hands pushing through her hair. “I know Gavin, he isn’t the type to associate with someone like that. Nines has to have something that keeps him coming back. But what could be that important?” 

Connor’s face was grim. “Rufus,” silence fell over the three of them, filled with uneasy looks. Tina went faintly green. 

 “Pardon?” North blinked at him. “Who the fuck is Rufus?” Connor and Tina glanced at one another. Tina raised her eyebrows expectantly. Connor leaned forward on his arms. 

“It’s hard to explain…”

  


K-NYNE hated home base. Everything was so sterile and quiet, aside from the whirring of machinery. Dozens of locked doors lined the hallways, forbidden even to them. K-NYNE didn’t speak unless it had to, but this place pushed it into complete silence. Even Rayne seemed more subdued than usual. They walked down the halls together, pressed closer than usual. “Do you think Father will be pleased?” Rayne asked, regarding K-NYNE with nervous eyes. It smiled at her. 

“Of course he will be. We have a camera in the detective’s car, and we have inside information in the prison too, and we haven’t had any issues with your new identity. I don’t see why he’d be upset,” K-NYNE assured her. She didn’t look convinced. 

“But what about RK900 escaping?” K-NYNE opened its mouth, but had no answer. Rayne tugged on her hair and slowed to a stop. “I mean- we don’t know where he is now, or what happened…” That much was true, and K-NYNE felt its own processors whirr. 

“We’ll be fine, I have a plan. Just follow my lead,” K-NYNE said, pressing its hand to Rayne’s back to keep her moving. 

 

“So what you’re telling me,” Father began, rubbing his forehead, “is that you lost RK900?” His tone was calm, but K-NYNE tensed regardless. 

“Yes, Father, but it’s not a problem. We can find him again if we just-” It was cut off as Father grabbed it by the hair. His fingers couldn’t find much purchase in the short red fuzz, but it was enough to jerk K-NYNE’s head up to meet his eyes. 

“If you just what?” He hissed. “You failed, K-NYNE. How could you possibly fix this?” It stared into Father’s eyes, struggling to stay neutral against his mounting fury. 

“It’s Gavin, Father. We can use the Detective to find Nines again. If there’s anyone he’s going to seek out, it’d be Gavin.” K-NYNE said, brushing its red hair back out of its face and adjusting its rumpled clothing. “Please, Father, let us try again. We’re more than capable of finding him, I promise.” It cast its eyes down, fixed on the perfectly clean linoleum floors. 

    Father grabbed it’s shoulders, forcing them to meet eyes once more. One of his large hands slid up, pressing against its throat. “You have a week, K-NYNE. If you fail, I’ll be forced to reset you. You don’t want that.” 

    K-NYNE felt its body seize up. Its hands began to shake, so it hid them behind its back. “No, Father, I don’t.” K-NYNE murmured. Father smiled, baring his teeth. Two were no longer white, replaced with pointed metal caps that were coated in glistening silver. They were long and sharp, like a dog’s. K-NYNE swallowed without needing to. Father’s thumbs rubbed the skin of its shoulder, subtly pushing on it’s joints. They clicked quietly.  K-NYNE stopped breathing. The pause hung between them for what felt like years before Father’s face relaxed. 

    “Good. You may go, don’t let me down.” As soon as he spoke, K-NYNE turned and hurried out of the room. Rayne trailed after, casting a glance at Father over her shoulder. He waved as the door slammed shut. She jogged to catch up to K-NYNE. 

    “So what’s the plan? I mean sure, we can hunt Gavin down with the tracker, but what then?” She asked. K-NYNE heaved a sigh. 

    “Even if we find RK900, we don’t know if he’ll willingly go with us. What we need to do is use Gavin to bring him to us, do you understand?” Rayne shook her head and gave a blank stare. K-NYNE struggled to find the words as it adjusted the high collar of its shirt. “We need the others. Reed’s a Detective, isn’t he? We give him a mystery, and he’ll follow. And with any luck it’ll attract RK900 as well,” 

    Rayne thought this over, running her fingers down her long black braid. “But how do we know RK900 will come for Gavin? I mean- he might be happy to have him out of the way.” K-NYNE smiled at this. It didn’t reach its eyes. 

    “I know because the Detective told me himself,” K-NYNE looked forward, towards the looming white doors. They were much cleaner than the rest of the hall, which wasn’t saying much. The basement was not particularly favored by Father and Rufus, leaving the irrelevant parts in disrepair. Next to the doors was a handprint scanner. K-NYNE placed its hand against the cool glass. The doors unlocked with a click and revealed the room behind them. Dark, lit by tubes on the floor that were filled with blue liquid. It rushed around, disappearing into large obscure shapes. Rayne’s eyes lit up with excitement. 

    “Let’s wake up our brothers, shall we?” 

 

 **Jimmy’s Bar- Two Hours Prior:**  

Connor was at a loss. The Detective was constantly panicked, jumping at shadows and crumbling due to lack of sleep. He couldn’t trust anything anymore. His nails were bitten pink and raw- and he was currently on his fifth drink in the past half hour. “Gavin,” Connor began, rubbing Gavin’s back, “what’s wrong?” 

 

It seemed such a ridiculous question. It was obvious what was wrong, but there wasn’t much else he could ask. Gavin reached up to pull at his hair, his fingers tangling in the brown strands. “What isn’t, Con? There has to be something wrong with me. I just can’t get him out of my head- sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I’m so sure he’s there, waiting in the dark to finish me off. He could be anywhere- it’s terrifying.” He buried his face in his hands, shaking. 

“I…” Connor trailed off. What was there to say? “I’m sorry Detective. Is there any way I can make you feel safer? Maybe you can stay with me for a while.” Gavin shook his head immediately. 

“No- no that wouldn’t help. It’d just put you in danger,” he said. The beer somehow found its way back into his hand, nearly full. Connor plucked it away and waited. Though, it seemed that he wasn’t going to elaborate. White cloth swept past them as the bartender cleaned the empty half of the counter. Connor used the moment to speak to her. 

“Don’t give him anymore after this, he still needs to get home,” He smiled, and she gave him a nod. Gavin shot him an annoyed look. “What do you mean, Detective? Do you know where he is?” 

A flash of panic crossed Gavin’s face, draining all color. He schooled his expression into something calm, but he remained sickly pale. “N-no, no I don’t. But he’ll come for me, I know he will. He’s not gonna leave me alone until he gets what he wants. I don’t know what that is, though.” 

“You think he wants something from you specifically?” 

“I know he does.” Gavin rubbed his face. “Look, I’ll be fine, I just need to calm down and reorient myself. Sorry for bothering you, Connor.” Connor shook his head. 

“It’s fine, Detective. There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m glad you told me about this. Look, I have to answer a call really quick, I’ll be back.” He stood, patting Gavin on the back. The bar rose in chatter as he stood, swelling in a crescendo as he pushed his way out and around the back. As he did, Connor could see RK800 walking around to the front, wearing an expression of concern. He crouched down behind the trashcans until the RK passed. 

“Alright, let’s disengage,” He murmured, pulling up his sleeve. On his arm was a small panel, which he opened with a hiss. A colorful control board sat inside, covered in buttons and wires. He punched in a short sequence of blue, red, green, red, and blue. 

Joints began to click and compress, shortening and changing shape. Wires crawled underneath metal casing, allowing the body to shrink. Clothes pooled around its feet, sliding off as it changed. K-NYNE examined the pile before it with detached curiosity. “I wonder why he still dresses in his old clothes, does he see this as a work uniform? Strange.” It pulled a duffle bag from behind the trash can and got out its clothes. In a matter of seconds, K-NYNE was fully dressed in its usual look, plus a large jacket to hide the metal joins of its arms. Information flitted over its vision, cataloging their conversation. 

“Thank you Detective, you’ve been very helpful.” 

 


End file.
